Heroine with 1,001 Faces | Maria Tatar Interview with Banyen Books

The Heroine with 1,001 Faces reveals an astonishing but long buried history of heroines, taking us from Cassandra and Scheherazade to Nancy Drew and Wonder Woman. How do we explain our newfound cultural investment in empathy and social justice? For decades, Joseph Campbell had defined our cultural aspirations in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, emphasizing the value of seeking glory and earning immortality. His work became the playbook for Hollywood, with its many male-centric quest narratives. Challenging the models in Campbell’s canonical work, Maria Tatar explores how heroines, rarely wielding a sword and deprived of a pen, have flown beneath the radar even as they have been bent on social missions.

Banyen Books is Canada's most comprehensive bookstore specializing in spirituality and healing. Located in Vancouver, Canada, since 1970, Banyen is open for in-person browsing as well as web & mail orders. Visit Banyen Books & Sound | Banyen Books & Sound for books, products, and upcoming events.

Maria Tatar is one of the world’s leading folklorists. She is the John L. Loeb Research Professor and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University. The editor of the Norton Critical Edition of The Classic Fairy Tales and The Annotated Brothers Grimm, she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Interview Host: Ross McKeachie
Event & Podcast Producer: Jacob Steele
Video Editor: Abdo Habbani

[Zelig_G]

This was so refreshing and real. Thank you so much Maria for your insights, hard work and dedication. Rented this book yesterday 🎉

[windrock]

Love this conversation. I read Circe awhile ago and the subverting of the hero from the authors perspective is welcome. I questioned this myself after reading many years ago...where is the heroine.
Now...im off to watch Barbie.